The Redemption Squad
by NotreDame
Summary: A personal version of the spinoff “Bad Guys”.
1. Prologue

Synopsis: Oneshot. A personal version of what could be the first episode of the spinoff "Bad Guys".

All the characters appearing in Gargoyles and Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles are copyright Buena Vista Television/The Walt Disney Company. No infringement of these copyrights is intended, and is not authorized by the copyright holder. All original characters are the property of NotreDame. I disregard The Goliath Chronicles as invalid in the continuity.

Any kind of feedback is welcome and much appreciated. Thank you very much to everyone who wrote to me, especially to Samuel B. for his beta-reading.

_The Redemption Squad_

Prison is a sad place to live. Robyn Canmore had never realised how much she loved freedom until she lost it. The grey walls. The silence. No one to talk to. Sometimes cops or lawyers always asking the same questions. Where is your brother? We can help you if you cooperate…

No one could help her and she was not sure that she wanted to be helped. There had been her childhood in Scotland with her brothers and their father, who was away most of the time. They knew about their "family secret" but she didn't fully realise. And then her father's death. She was only fourteen. Jon was nine, he was only a baby. Jason and she had had to take care of him, like parents, training and preparing themselves to forget that they had seen their dad killed. The hunt had become her life. Fourteen years spent tracking, training, forging new weapons. Fourteen years of hunt following fourteen years of innocence.

And now she realised all that had been in vain. Jason, the person she was the closest to in the world, was crippled, he would never walk again. The terrible thing was, it was Jon who had shot him. And then she had lifted him without thinking that it could move his vertebrae. And Jon had run away. Now the old trio was apart.

"_The only good gargoyle is a dead gargoyle…"_ Was it possible that their father had been wrong all along, after all? Yes, the demon was evil, but what about the other ones? The events of the night Jason had been shot kept running through her head, again and again. She was upset but it was not because the demon had not been killed. She was not sure to know how she was feeling. She wanted to sleep. Forever.

* * *

One night she found a note under her pillow. "Hunter, we need your special talents. If you want to be free again, put your red handkerchief at your window." She had laughed. An employee was making her a joke. So she had torn the note.

The night after she had found a similar note with something much more surprising: her Hunter mask. Stunned, she had run her fingers down the three red scars. Who had done this? It couldn't be a joke.

This was suspicious. It could be a trap too. Robyn wished she could talk about it with Jason. But Jason wasn't here. So she laid on her bed and closed her eyes. Hours passed. In the next cell, a woman started crying and suddenly, Robyn desperately wished she could leave the prison.

She put the handkerchief at her window.

* * *

Two days passed and nothing happened. The prisoner wondered how she could have been stupid enough to believe in that silly joke.

Then one day, when she coming back from the bathroom, closely followed by a guard, she noticed smoke coming from a door. She froze. The guard pushed her to her cell and she noticed something else: it looked like the door had been scratched. Three parallel lines, like scars…

Suddenly, the doors of all cells opened. Some prisoners had a look outside, some other were already trying to leave. Instinctively, Robyn entered her cell. This looked like the perfect diversion. The guard locked her in and the prisoner waited.

A few hours later, she was 4000 km away from the prison. Later Jason and Jon Canmore wondered how their sister had escaped.

* * *

The message to Yama was clear: leave your home, your country, your mate and everything you care for, and you'll be free. First he had been willing to refuse. Only cowards run away from their homes and the bushido wanted him to protect people.

But he wasn't protecting anything any more. He was a prisoner now. Yes, he received visits. He could even see Sora every night. But he knew she didn't like visiting him in prison. And he couldn't stand the fact that she was sorry for him. He was proud, like a warrior is supposed to be. Yes, he had done something wrong. And he deserved a punishment.

Exiling himself and leaving his loved ones was as good a punishment. He would redeem himself this way. And Sora was a strong warrior, she would recover from his departure.

So one evening, he turned to stone in Ishimura and awakened in a small room he had never been before. Four people were already in the room. Two humans, a burly man with a weird haircut and a blond woman in her late twenties, stopped talking when they saw him breaking out of his stone shell. There was also a strange silvery being and a creature that looked like a winged puma. The puma laughed. "Hey, Mr Stone is awake!"

"My name is Yama" the gargoyle corrected. This was weird. The two humans were obviously Caucasian and the puma creature had just talked in English so he had most probably left Japan. Where was he? Who had freed him from jail?

"Hi. I'm Dingo" the human male said. "This is…"

"Hunter" the woman completed.

"Yes. And this is Matrix and this is Fang" Dingo added, gesturing at the silver creature and at the winged puma. "I guess you found a message offering you freedom in exchange of services, like all of us?"

"Yes. I did."

"Cool!" Fang said happily. "So when do we get goin'? It's boring here!"

"We don't run away. It's a matter of loyalty" Yama said coldly. He already knew he didn't like Fang. The latter started a monologue about "boring people" and Dingo and Hunter exchanged a dismayed look. Matrix watched them curiously and then turned to his Australian friend. "This doesn't look like order" he said.

Before Dingo had time to answer, a door open. "The lady comes in" a male voice said. Surprised, Robyn got up and left the room. The door closed before anyone had time to react.

* * *

She found herself in a corridor. There was only one window. Robyn had time to brush the curtains when passing and caught a brief glimpse of a nearly familiar monument. The Eiffel tower. She didn't stop and knocked at the door, at the other end of the corridor.

"Enter."

A man was sitting behind a desk. The room was dimly lit so she could hardly see his features. He looked about fifty. "Miss Canmore" he said "or should I call you Hunter? Sit down please. I guess you may be a bit tired after this journey."

Robyn sat down. The man looked at her with a slight smile. "I must say, you didn't disappoint me. You passed all the tests. Especially the last one, when you went back to your cell instead of trying to leave with the others. But I didn't introduce myself. I am the Director."

Robyn tried hard to make out his nationality: the man didn't even have the hint of an accent. As if he had read his thoughts, he smiled again. "I know you are not pleased to find yourself in this city again. It must be associated with bad memories. The death of your father…"

"How do you know about him?" Hunter asked.

"I happen to know a lot of things and I am particularly well-informed about you. You are a well-trained fighter and a master in disguise, concealment and adaptation. And you could end up in jail for very good reasons if I don't protect you. I need people like you. And these men."

The man took a remote control and a screen appeared on a wall. "See this man" the Director carried on while a shot of Dingo was displayed. "He's a fighter, just like you. Formerly a TV star, he had some kind of problems with justice. And he has two assets that can be of great use: this armor and his friend, the Matrix."

Other shots were displayed. Robyn could only see a silvery matter in geometrical shapes. The Director explained. "The Matrix is an artificial intelligence, a kind of nano-technology. It can reshape nearly everything. It can get out-of-control but Mr Dingo has some kind of an influence on it."

Another photo appeared: the gargoyle in a kimono outfit she had seen earlier. "This gargoyle's name is Yama. He recently left his clan in Japan for reasons I won't discuss. You'd better not ask him, either. I think you of all people should know how great a warrior a gargoyle can be?"

Robyn nodded, troubled. She had never imagined that there could be gargoyle clans in Japan. The photo of Fang appeared. "This used to be a human. After a genetic experiment, he got the abilities that are generally associated with gargoyles, plus another one: he can shoot electric blasts. He's not very disciplined but he knows people who would give him have a bad time if they ever find him. He'll have to cooperate. And so will you."

"Me?" Robyn asked, puzzled.

"Yes. Don't look so shocked; don't tell me you enjoyed being a prisoner. Either you accept to be the leader of the Redemption Squad, or I send you back to jail."

"Redemption Squad?"

"An elite team, working for me. Some of my men are already talking to its future members."

Other images appeared. In a room, Dingo was thoughtfully asking questions to a man whose face was hidden, Matrix at his side. In another place, Yama was listening to another one, his face unreadable. Only Fang seemed upset and was apparently shouting something. The guard he was talking to said something and he calmed down suddenly.

"If I accept, how long will this last?" Hunter asked.

"As long as I want."

"Did you tell the gargoyle about…"

"Your old family grudge? No, don't worry. Unless you want to tell him yourself. Now, what's your choice?"

Robyn frowned. This wasn't much of a choice and she was not sure that she trusted the man entirely. But she thought of the years she had spent hunting the demon again and again, only to discover that the truth what not that she believed. She had lost fourteen years of her life. Maybe if she used her hard-gained skills for another cause, those years of training wouldn't have been in vain.

"I accept" she said finally.

The man stretched a hand to her and they shook hands. Robyn noticed how dry and hard his hand was, like the one of an older man. "You won't regret it, Hunter" he said. "Now it's time to join your new headquarters."

* * *

_This is no Australia_ Dingo thought while visiting the building where he was going to live with three complete strangers. _But I can do with it. _Most of it was underground, including the very large training room and the vehicle room. The man found his own bedroom easily. His battle armor was there and someone had put forge ID papers on the bed, in case he wanted to leave the building. And yes, there was the electronic communicator he was supposed to keep with him all the time. If it rung, he had to forsake everything and go to the headquarters immediately.

There were books on the shelves. Dingo took one of them. It was _Les Misérables_, by Victor Hugo. "Great!" he whispered. "I just have to learn French and I'll be able to read it."

"Do you want me to learn it for you?" Matrix asked.

Dingo jumped. He had forgotten about his artificial friend. "You can do that?" he asked.

"Of course."

"You're full of surprises." The roommates were probably not going to be a problem. Dingo already had to put up with Wolf, Jackal and Hyena for a long time and when you can stand nutcases like them, you can stand anybody. Anyway, the woman was apparently sane and the gargoyle was obviously the silent type. No problems with them.

He left and found himself face-to-face with Hunter. "What… do you think we are supposed to do, now?" he asked.

"No idea. Waiting for orders, maybe?" He laughed nervously and they searched the other room. Fang was sitting in front of a television, switching the channels nervously. There were channels in English but obviously, this was not enough for him. He finally threw an electric blast at the TV set and went to a window, which was luckily opened. Yama was watching him disapprovingly. He followed him without a word. Not that he was responsible for that mutate but he wanted to feel the air in his wings again.

Matrix decided to "put order in the TV set" and Hunter and Dingo found themselves alone. They didn't know what to say. "It could be worse" Dingo finally said. "I heard Paris is a beautiful place, I'd like to visit one of these days."

"If you like. But it's not that beautiful."

"You've already been here?" he asked.

"Yes, when I was a kid." She yawned. "I think I'm going to go to bed now." She left the room and Dingo turned to Matrix, hoping the artificial intelligence would be in the mood for a little talk. He had the feeling he was going to feel very alone. This was not the heroic life he had imagined at a time.

Well, perhaps heroes are supposed to be alone.

* * *

Fang looked at the buildings disapprovingly. This was not New York City, hiding was going to be more difficult. He started gliding in circles, looking for fun things to do. Most people were in bed at that time of the night.

The message had been clear: "behave or we send you back to the Labyrinth". This was so humiliating. He was treated like a little kid! What had he been doing to deserve that?

He didn't have much of a choice. But he preferred to be here in that foreign place than cooped up in a cell in New York. So he was going to "behave", to be a "good boy": just now that was the price for freedom. He could do with it. He had the feeling he was not going to get on well with the gargoyle: the guy looked as rigid-minded, as duty-obsessed as Goliath. But he had decided to behave. One prank from time to time, that would allow him to survive. Maybe he would find ways to have fun here, in hiding. But officially, he would have to "behave".

The puma mutate explored a bit of the city, took mental notice of a few funny things he could do later and went back "home". There was a new life waiting for him.

A new life waiting for all of them.

THE END


	2. Loch Ness

Disclaimer: Gargoyles belong to Walt Disney/Buena Vista. I'm using their characters without permission and I don't make any profit out of it. Please, don't sue me! This fic was recently beta-read, thank you Samuel.

* * *

_The redemption squad - Loch Ness_

Robyn Canmore's communicator was beeping at 4 in the morning. Yawning, she grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Hunter, I need to talk to you as soon as possible. Get dressed, Anne is going to go and get you."

If this was the Director's method of communication, Robyn wasn't sure that she liked it. She put on a pair of jeans, a tee-shirt and a jacket, quickly brushed her hair and went down. The house was empty: the guys were apparently either sleeping, or on the rooftops.

Indeed, Anne was waiting for her on the sidewalk. A short, silent brunette in her mid-thirties, Anne was the only Director's "employee" whose face the squad had already seen. Robyn wondered if she was also a former prisoner or criminal or if she was working for him for another reason. "Come" she said, gesturing at a car. "We will be zere in ten minutes."

"Do I really need a driver?"

"To go to 'im, yes. You will never meet 'im twice in the same place. Precaution."

"And do you know what he wants?" Robyn asked while taking place in the car.

"'E'll tell you 'imself. Croissant?"

Robyn nodded and took a caloric bomb in the paper bag Anne was holding out to her. It tasted good but at the same time, it brought bad memories back._ Our first day in Paris. We had breakfast at the hotel. Jon had eaten three croissants and a half and he was sick for the whole day. And Jason was annoyed, he would have preferred visiting the city or helping dad tracking the Demon rather than staying at the hotel with the sick little brother. So I stayed alone with Jon. Dad was killed a few days later …_

"'Unter! We are arrived!"

Anne was gesturing at a door. The building looked like an ordinary house. Robyn left the car and entered the house. There was an empty corridor and then a nearly empty room where the Director was waiting.

"Good morning, Hunter. I hope you and your colleagues feel at home at the headquarters now."

'At home' was not exactly the right term. They had gotten used to the city (she and Dingo by day and Matrix, Fang and Yama by night) but cohabitation in the house was not always easy. She had no problems with Dingo but he often asked her questions about her past and the fact that she never answered obviously annoyed him. It was difficult to have a talk with Matrix: the artificial intelligence could ask questions like "what's the point of a birthday party" and was never satisfied until he had an answer. Yama was serious and professional but she was still a bit uneasy about living with a gargoyle. And as for Fang, he went out-of-control sometimes. The only way to make him calm down was to remind him that if he didn't behave, he would be sent back to where he came from. Unfortunately, the Japanese gargoyle always preferred to use other arguments (honor, loyalty and so on) and it never worked on the puma mutate.

"What's the point of waking me up at four in the morning?" Robyn asked sharply.

"Work, Hunter. Sit down. I have something to show you."

He took documents in an envelope. Some were photos. "The Loch Ness" Robyn noticed. "I visited the place when I was a kid."

"Yes. A Gargoyles clan is apparently established on its shores. I don't know where exactly."

"And you want us to find this clan?"

"No. One of my enemies may have found it before me. He has already captured one of its members. I want you to free him."

Robyn took one of the photos and frowned. There were a few people fighting on the shore of the lake. One was obviously a gargoyle. She couldn't make out his features. "And what tells you this gargoyle is a good one?" she asked suspiciously.

"You free this gargoyle. If he is ungrateful enough to thank you by attacking you, I hope you will defend yourself."

_Obey or I send you back to prison_ Robyn thought. _I don't like it but I have to do with it._ "Is there something else I have to know?"

"Yes. The hiding place of the kidnappers is probably in these locations. Anne is already phoning your colleagues. Do as fast as you can. Don't get noticed. And…"

"And?" she asked, annoyed.

"Don't get killed. Any of you. I only work with the bests of the bests and they are not easy to find."

* * *

**A rooftop**

Yama was watching a few drunken people who were stumbling out of a night-club. He was patrolling alone every night, out of a habit. A gargoyle never forgets the gargoyle ways. Neither does he forget his home country. Yama regretted a bit not to have said goodbye to his friends. Two nights before, the humans had come home with something they called "Japanese takeaway food". It didn't taste Japanese at all.

His communicator beeped. The gargoyle glided back home and went directly to the underground. Dingo, Matrix and Fang were already there, yawning. A boy in his early twenties, wearing a mask, was waiting for them near a door. He jumped a bit when seeing the non-humans and handed a card to Dingo, who read aloud.

_Gentlemen, this boy will be your guide in the underground Paris, also known as the 'Catacombes'. He knows every passage. Protect him if you get attacked, otherwise you wouldn't find your way back. The labyrinth you are about to enter isn't safe. And one last thing: your guide doesn't speak English but he's not stupid._

Fang burst into laughter. "We have a mute frog! I knew a mute tiger once, things never change!

Yama glared at him. Dingo shrugged and gestured at the door. The boy nodded, lit a lamp and entered the Catacombes.

Two years before, Guillaume Lecas was living in the streets. He used to make a living from theft and usually slept in the labyrinthine catacombes he knew nearly by heart. He had been arrested one day but a complete stranger had used his connections to free him from jail legally, under one condition: he had to render him services.

Now he was guiding those weird-looking people. He knew the place so well that he didn't even look around him. One moment, they had to walk in water, the next, they crossed a little room that looked like a miniature amphitheatre. Once they saw carvings that were probably several centuries old, just next to wild paintings that were not here the previous week. Dingo had the feeling he was visiting a museum and nearly regretted to see only a little part of it. Fang was thinking that it was a great hiding place for a thief. And as for Yama, he was hoping they would reach their goal before sunrise.

At last they reached a wall where, surprisingly, there was a very modern security door. Anne and Robyn were already waiting for them. "Your vehicle is just be'ind the door, you will find everything you need inside. Good luck" Anne said while giving the keys to Hunter. Guillaume bowed ceremoniously and left with Anne in another corridor.

The door opened directly into a vehicle whose inside reminded Robyn of the one she used to drive with her brothers. She and Dingo found the commands easily. Apparently, they were underwater, in the Seine River. She was about to move off the vehicle when her Australian colleague stopped her. "Where are we going?" he asked.

"Scotland. We need to leave now."

"Wait," Fang protested. "Why is it the chick who gives out orders? I've never seen that!"

"I have," Yama stated.

"Oh, come on, guy! You would let a chick give you orders?"

"A leader is a leader, whether male or female," the Japanese gargoyle explained, trying hard to keep calm. "And the..."

"Do you want the chick to give you orders?" Fang asked Matrix, interrupting Yama.

"I see no birds in this place," the artificial intelligence stated.

"In this context, it is not a bird but an insult," Dingo explained, sighing.

"Like the frog. The boy was no mute frog," Matrix concluded, pleased to understand something that seemed obscure to him at last. "Why does the kitten see animals everywhere?"

"I'm no kitten!" Fang shouted.

Dingo and Robyn burst into laughter and Yama himself couldn't help smiling. "We leave now," Hunter concluded.

"I would prefer to know why we are going to Scotland now," Yama said calmly. "I am going to turn to stone in five minutes."

Robyn blushed slightly. She had nearly forgotten about the "stone factor". She produced the documents and explained everything as fast as she could. The Japanese gargoyle froze into stone with a thoughtful expression on his face. He had no idea that there were a gargoyle clan in Scotland and he didn't like the fact that someone of his species was in danger just now.

"We leave," Robyn concluded, sitting at the commands. Apparently, the vehicle could fly as well as it could run under water. After a few tries, the humans managed to get into the air high enough to be out of sight. They headed to Scotland.

Fang was starting to enjoy the situation. Traveling in this kind of plane was cool and they were probably going to have a good time at the Loch Ness. He took a seat and nearly fell asleep.

The humans found the Loch Ness and hid the vehicle under its surface. Dingo had a look at the sleeping Fang and sighed. "A great team we are!"

"Good," Robyn said. "We don't need him now. Let's go to the nearest town and collect information."

"Leaving the two winged ones together? Great idea, Sheila, we'll only find pieces of stone when we are back!"

"Oh, wonderful, another misogynist!" Robyn sighed in turn. "Stay and baby-sit them, I'll do everything alone!" And she turned her back to him and entered an airlock. Inside, there were individual submarines. She found the commands easily and finally ended up on the shores of the lake. _Search for the gargoyle. Find the gargoyle. Ki… save the gargoyle._

* * *

"You just had an argument" Matrix said to his Australian friend.

"Yeah! So what?"

"Why? It doesn't look very orderly to me."

"It's in human nature. Humans have to breathe and drink and sometimes they disagree. That's all."

"What is human nature?"

Dingo had a sudden idea. "Ask Fang when he's awake. He'll answer you. And prevent him from attacking Yama when he's in stone-sleep."

The artificial intelligence agreed and the former mercenary left the vehicle, intending to find out more about the gargoylenapping.

He walked to the next town and wondered where to look for. After all, no one in Manhattan was currently able to catch a gargoyle, and there were hundreds of people looking for them. A seller offered him to photograph him in front of the lake: apparently the tourist industry was well-developed.

"Did something particular happened last night?" the former mercenary asked randomly.

"Something particular?" Well, when I think of it, I think I saw Nessie but maybe it was not her that time.

Dingo tried to think of another question but the man was already talking to a small group of tourists. Suddenly, he heard a voice behind him.

"I told ye te stay with the others!"

_Where did she find this Scottish accent?_ Dingo thought while turning to Hunter, feeling more and more irritated. "I found them a baby-sitter" he explained. "And we'll be finished quicker if we search together."

"Search for Nessie?" a little girl asked, holding the hand of her mother.

"None of your business!" Robyn said sharply.

Dingo shook his head disapprovingly. "I apologize for my… sister, she's upset because she hasn't seen Nessie yet" he explained, embarrassed.

"My dad saw Nessie two nights ago. And an angel on the shore of the lake."

"What?" the two squad members said together. The child grinned. "Yes! And he took it photos! An angel fighting demons!"

"Where did it go?" Robyn asked sharply. The girl's parents frowned and walked away.

"Good job" Dingo said sarcastically.

"Do ye think ye could do better?"

"If it comes about negotiating, I think anyone could do better than you" he retorted before realizing that he didn't know how to deal with the couple. He thought about. Pretending to be a journalist making a report about the Loch Ness, maybe? He didn't notice that Hunter was not at his side any more.

A few minutes later, he saw her coming back to him. "Let's come back to our base" she said. "Quick. I have what we need."

* * *

In the submarine, Fang was giving Matrix his own personal version of the definition of 'human nature'. It resulted in dozen of other questions and the answers were getting more and more 'particular'. Then Matrix realized that the two humans were back and were apparently arguing. It got closer to listen to them. "I'm telling you, this is theft!" Dingo was saying.

"I didn't steal this camera, I borrowed it, do you see the difference?" Robyn retorted, her Scottish accent gone again. "This kid won't even notice that it's gone!"

"She will. What a great opinion of adults you're going to give her!"

"We have a mission to fulfill, there's no time for sentimentality. And when I think of it, we five are former criminals, this is why the Director wanted us. I guess you already did worse than camera theft?"

"Maybe. What were your crimes, anyway?"

"None of your business."

"Yes!" Fang shouted suddenly. "Carry on! Fight! D'you have popcorn, Matrix?"

The two humans looked at each other, slightly ashamed. Receiving lessons from someone like Fang was a bit difficult to admit. Dingo thought that in a way, Hunter was right: they had a mission to fulfill and maybe a life to save. They could give the camera back later. Robyn had the feeling that Dingo had been acting nobler than her, trying to spare this child's feeling. She had been clumsy when talking to her.

At that point, Matrix interrupted them. "According to these photos, they used a truck to send the gargoyle southwards. Do we have maps?"

They had maps. After a few moments, they found two possible localizations for the gargoylenappers' hiding place: a disused warehouse and an old house that had been uninhabited for a very long time. The humans made reconnaissance to both place. Finally they came to the conclusion that the warehouse was the most probable option and they decided to attack it just after sunset, when Yama would be awake.

* * *

The humans were wearing their fighting armors when the Japanese gargoyle burst out of his stone shell. "We localized it" Robyn explained.

"It?"

"The place where the gargoyle (she nearly said _our target_) is hidden. Matrix is already on the spot, looking for the entrance."

"We go when Fang stops sulking" Dingo completed.

"I won't obey a girl," Fang said maddeningly.

"So go back where you come from!" she retorted.

"Hey, how many blondes does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

"Two. But how'd they get in there. And don't even think of telling other blonde jokes, I already know all of them."

"I have an idea: if you think you're so great, why don't you go and retrieve the gargoyle alone?" Dingo suggested to the mutate.

Fang thought about. The perspective of working on this mission alone was not really appealing to him, he couldn't run away and if he didn't save the prisoner, he would probably be sent back to the Labyrinth. "Okay, I obey, chick" he finally mumbled. Robyn whispered "thank you" to Dingo while Yama was glaring at the mutate. Misogyny was not a popular concept among gargoyles and the way Fang seemed to voluntarily hamper the mission was really getting on his nerves.

* * *

At the same moment, Matrix was exploring the grounds of the warehouse. There was some kind of order in this place: the dust had been removed recently. It found some switches, discovered a lift. Apparently, there was some place in the underground. It thought about for a while (that is to say, for about half-a-second) and decided to go down alone.

Fang was the first to enter the warehouse, a few minutes later. It was a bit cruel of Robyn who knew that with his temper, he was likely to get caught, but after all, he was old enough to take care of himself, and he didn't have to insult her! Anyway, it was obvious that he didn't fully realize what was going on.

Through their communicators, the squad heard him bursting into laughter. "Mr. Order was here!" he said. "A big hole he left in the floor!"

"So much for staying unnoticed" Robyn mumbled. "Fang, you must be watched now. Stay…" She didn't have time for finishing her sentence. Sounds of fighting were heard through the device. The humans glanced at Yama, who was the best among them at defining a fighting strategy. "What do we do?" Hunter asked.

Yama didn't really want to help the mutate. But protection is in the nature of gargoyles. He would have the feeling of betraying all that he believed in if he turned his back to his duty. "I take the front door, you two take the back" he said.

Later, Fang remembered having been half-knocked out. There had been sounds of fighting. A few seconds later, someone was grabbing him and going down the elevator cage. "Wake up" Dingo mumbled while putting him on the floor roughly.

"What?"

"We're in the place, keep guard!"

"Mmmh?" Fang's brain went back to work slowly. There were going to be fights, which was cool. So he had to be awake. And good at fighting, otherwise Mr. Japan would probably make fun of him. He went back to his feet while his Australian colleague started exploring the corridors. There were only metal and square angles everywhere, Matrix was probably feeling at home. Where was the artificial intelligence, anyway? Full of adrenaline, Dingo walked to the nearest door and opened it slowly. He jumped when someone burst out of it and then laughed nervously. "You scared me. Never do that again."

"Never use a door again?" Matrix asked in its usual matter-of-fact tone.

"Warn before you pass a door."

"How can I warn you before I pass it as I am on the other side of the door?"

"Err… you're right. Seen anything?"

"Seen a lot of things."

Dingo was starting to lose patience. "Matrix, now, put yourself in my shoes! Have you seen the gargoyle?"

Matrix put itself in Dingo's shoes (partially, there was not enough place for it) and thought about. His colleague couldn't be talking about Yama as he knew where Yama was so he was probably mentioning the gargoyle he had just seen.

"Yes."

"Where is he?"

"Next door. Now can I leave your shoes?"

The situation was getting so ridiculous that Dingo wanted to laugh. "Yes. Come with me. Help me retrieving this person and don't kill anybody."

The other room looked like a laboratory. A man in a white coat was lying on the floor. The former mercenary was about to blame his artificial friend, who protested immediately. "I didn't kill him, I knocked him down."

Dingo nodded and checked that the victim was alive anyway. Then he had a look at another person who was sleeping in a cage. It was a gargoyle, indeed: red-skinned and web-winged. The surprising thing was, he looked younger than on the photos. He was about the equivalent of nine.

Dingo fired on the cage as to destroy its bars, grabbed the hatchling (he was as big and heavy as a human teenager) and tried to carry him to the place where Fang was waiting. Matrix was covering him. They found Fang who was fighting a guard and looked like he was having the time of his life. Matrix interrupted the fight and lifted everyone to the inside of the warehouse. A few other guards were lying on the floor.

"We have it!" Fang shouted happily. "And we beat them all up!"

"Him, not it" Yama corrected while taking the hatchling cautiously in Dingo's arms. He had expected the prisoner to be a grown gargoyle and seeing a child in this situation really upset him. "Who has been doing that? And what were they about to do to him?"

"No time for discussion," Robyn stated. "We have to leave now."

* * *

When the hatchling opened his eyes, he realized that he was no longer in a cage. He was resting on the shore of the Loch Ness and a gargoyle he had never seen before was watching him thoughtfully. "Are you all right, child?"

"Yes. What happened to me?"

"No matter. Do you know how to go back home?"

"Yes, but… what happened to me?"

"I had hoped you could give me the answer. Go quickly, the sun will rise in a few hours."

The child looked at him curiously. The gargoyle looked foreign and he was wearing a cool outfit like the samurais he watched once on TV. "Come with me, you must meet my clan!"

Yama was dying to agree and follow the hatchling. But two gargoyles would be more easily spotted and the child could still be in danger now. The squad was going to follow him through binoculars to check he would go home safely, that would be enough.

A few dozen meters away, the squad was indeed watching them. "Seems okay" Dingo stated, giving the binoculars to Hunter. She nodded while Fang was boosting about being "the bests of the bests". He was feeling proud in a strange way and he would have been unable to explain why.

On the other hand, Robyn would have been unable to say if she felt proud or disappointed. Yes, the mission had been a success and they were all alive and kicking now. But there were things she still wanted to know. Who had kidnapped that gargoyle and why? How came the Director knew about him and which interests did he have in freeing him? Her head was buzzing with questions. She took off her mask and watched the three red scars thoughtfully. How would her father react if he knew that she had saved a gargoyle? A child gargoyle who was the same age as Jon when their father was killed? Maybe he would have been proud, after all…

* * *

**The nearest town, noon, the day after**

"Hey, kid, I think you lost this yesterday."

The little girl looked at Dingo, surprised, and took the camera in his hands. "You found it? Thank you, sir. Thank you very much."

"Not at all." The former mercenary watched the child leaving with her mom and dad. He couldn't help thinking of the time he was a 'hero for children'. All those kids admiring him and how much he loved it… Now he was beginning to be a real hero, maybe. But no child on earth would ever know about it. It felt weird "Let's leave" he said to Robyn. "We have nothing more to do here."

"Are you all right?" she asked, frowning.

"Yes." He sighed wistfully. "I wonder if we'll have children one day."

"Is this a proposal?"

He gaped at her. She burst into laughter. "Only joking!" she explained.

He laughed in turn. "Yes! You and me… impossible!"

"You can say that again!"

"And even for the children! Imagine they had my good looks!"

"And my great personality." Robyn searched her words. Apologizing was not something she did easily. "I was rude to you" she said hesitantly.

"So was I. Let's forget it." Dwelling on an argument was not something Dingo wanted. They were colleagues, they would probably disagree again but they would have to do with it. Now he just wanted to go back to the headquarters before one of their colleagues murders the other. So they walked back to the lake with no more discussion.

* * *

**Paris, later**

In his office, the Director was thinking about. The mission had been a success: it seemed that in spite of their differences, the five members of the Redemption Squad could work quite well together. Good. Things were not going as he hoped and maybe he would soon need their help again. Maybe sooner than later…

He went back to work.

_To be continued…_

* * *

Author's note: the 'Catacombes' under Paris really exist. They have inspired dozens of authors throughout the centuries (Gaston Leroux, among others). Nowadays, only a small part of the 300 km of galleries can be visited officially, and it's a creepy visit. I have never set a foot in the forbidden galleries, and I prefer not to. 


End file.
